For Cheese Lovers: Chicken Marinara

Pretty much the only dish that appears on our dinner table more than once is this Chicken Marinara. It is our comfort food. I usually have it with brown rice and a nice lemony arugula salad. Whenever I am fishing for some compliments, I make this, and I get “you are the best chef” or “you are amazing” at least 3 times during dinner. I love it!

Chicken Marinara

Chicken Marinara

Ingredients

8 tbsp EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)

4 garlic cloves, chopped

3 shallots, peeled, chopped

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

3/4 cup breadcrumbs

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 large eggs, beaten

9 boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 8oz ball of fresh mozzarella (not the kind soaked in water)

Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Recipe

Heat 4 tbsp of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots and cook for 4 minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, and red pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes. Sauce will thicken slightly.

Meanwhile, place flour in one shallow dish, eggs in another, and mix bread crumbs and cheese in a third dish.

Preheat over to 350F.

Add basil, 1/2 tsp of sea salt, and black pepper to sauce. Pour sauce into a large bowl and set aside. Heat another 4 tbsp of olive oil in pan over medium high heat.

Coat each chicken piece with flour first, then eggs, and then coat with bread crumb cheese mixture. Add chicken pieces to pan and cook chicken for about 5 minutes per side, until browned cooked. Make sure to check that chicken is cooked before turning off the heat.

Place chicken in a shallow baking dish. Pour tomato sauce over the chicken pieces. Slice mozzarella ball into thin slices and place them on top of chicken and sauce, so they form a nice cheesy top layer. Bake for 10 minutes. Serve chicken with pasta, rice, or salad, and spoon more sauce over it.